Deadline nears for 2018-19 Palomar Promise

Marissa Irribarren graduated from Vista High School in 2017 and is taking hersecond semester of free college classes thanks to the Palomar Promise.

With more than 600 freshmen in their second semester of free college under the Palomar Promise, high school seniors in the Palomar Community College District have until March 2 to apply for the 2018-19 Promise.

The Palomar Promise offers one year of free course enrollment and related registration fees, textbook assistance, and access to specialized planning and support services to entering students who graduate from eligible high schools in the Palomar College service area. The Promise is funded using a combination of possible state, federal and local funding resources.

In classrooms and labs across campus, Promise students are seizing opportunities and learning to navigate the college environment successfully.

Every high school district in the Palomar College service area was represented in the initial cohort of Promise students. Nearly a third came from the San Marcos Unified School District, with another 25 percent coming from the Escondido Union High School District and 20 percent from Vista Unified.

Among them is Marissa Irribarren, 18, who graduated in 2017 from Vista High School and is planning to study marine biology.

“(The Promise) gives students a chance to get an education and not have to wait for money,” said Irribarren, adding that, as a science major, the textbook assistance has been crucial. “I want to go into the sciences, and I know the math and science books are very expensive.”

The program is gearing up to welcome a new group of high school graduates this fall, with applications for the 2018-19 Palomar Promise due March 2.